


Hibari Ren

by wallstoothin



Series: Hibari Ren AU [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Persona 5
Genre: But hey that's what happen when you raise a child in the mafia, Found Family, Gen, Hibari Kyouya helped raised a child what a scary thought, Hibari Ren Au, Mafia Boss Sawada Tsunayoshi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Persona 5: The Royal, Ren can and will fight you, Ren is a little shit, feral-ish Ren, impluse control Ryuji, the gang's all here, unless Ryuji get's his hand on a spray bottle first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26284786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wallstoothin/pseuds/wallstoothin
Summary: KHR/P5 crossover that my mind and one other person on tumblr and discord asked for.HibariAn honorable family name that has been passed down for generation. But due to an incident in Namimori, Ren can no longer use that name. But that doesn't mean he's going to forget everything his family has taught him. Instead he would march foward and fight.He swears this with his dying will.
Series: Hibari Ren AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909819
Comments: 17
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

_ “Please Ren. Your mother and I can’t protect you. But you need to protect yourself. Hide in the shadow. Don’t let them see your true self. I don’t want to see you get hurt anymore.” _

_ Ren stared back at his father with wide eyes as a glasses case was shoved into his hand. He wanted to say something, something along the lines of how people in the family should not submit. They face things head on and with bared teeth.  _

But Ren submitted as soon as he realised he went way over his head. It was humiliating. What would his great uncle say? What about his older brothers? He was a shameful being. So when he complied with his father’s order to submit, Ren couldn’t help but to howl in frustration .

A man screaming, a woman stepping back in fear with Ren standing in front of her to protect-just like his uncle would have done.  _ Protect the town, Protect the people.  _ But in the end he was betrayed ! By his town and by the lady. His will inside his heart withered as the flames that was already small from the start vanished into almost nothing.

Ren opened his eyes just as the announcement for his stop blares above in the overhead. It was loud and annoying.The city was too big for his liking. But it was interesting to see all types of characters just from one tiny train cart. Highschool fangirls talking about some teen detective. Tired salaryman who looks like he’s about to pass out at any moment. A mother trying to get her kids to settle while the train moves. 

Ren yawned as he tries to get all the sleepiness out of his system in one go. He glared back at the man sitting next to him. Oh? Was he bothering him from reading his porn? Don’t mind him please. Are all city folks are as rude as this asshole?

Shibuya was worse than that small train cart. It was louder and that anime character crying out public safety rules in the background had the squeakiest voice he has ever heard. He wondered how punchable the character is and where he can punch it. Though he was pretty sure the fans won’t appreciate him at a fan event. 

Ah- right he can’t fight anymore. He’s on probation and if anyone sees him getting into any type of trouble he’ll be send farther away. 

The world stops for a moment. Ren looked around to see everyone on the crosswalk frozen. His hand, the one not holding his phone, immediately reached for his pocket only to pull out nothing-right. He's a normal boy now and normal boys don’t have knives in their pocket. But his shoes are fair game. Just as he lifts his foot he noticed a figure standing near the entrance of the train station staring at him. It was Ren- a Ren with golden eyes and a mad grin as blue fire surrounds him. The real Ren can only stand there and look bewildered as the world returned to normal. He slowly lowered his foot and stared at where the figure was supposed to be. He stumble back as someone bumped into him, the culprit mumbles something about ‘teenagers these days’ and move along. 

Right, Ren has no time to be stalling. He has somewhere to be. He can think of the mysterious doppelganger another time. 

Yongen-jaya was quiet, good. If Yongen was just was loud as Shibuya then Ren would never be able to sleep and he hate stumbling around acting drunk just for something dumb like not getting enough sleep. It would be nice if he knew exactly where to go from the station. His navigation app was not working and instead only a strange red app remains. Hasn’t Ren deleted it once before? Obviously he didn’t because the app was still there. 

Nothing was going right today. It was a miracle that Ren managed to find the Sakura house and even when he ring the doorbell. Nobody was home. It was from eavesdropping from the delivery man that he finds out his guardian has a cafe. He was already in a bad mood from everything wrong with today. He just hopes that the bad mood won’t ruin his first impression with the guy who can decide if he will go to juvie or not. 

Ren can’t help but to wince at that thought. He already shamed the family by being on probation. If he goes to jail then Ren will definitely die of shame.

He thinks back to his “older brother” words of encouragement. 

_ “I know this year will be hard on you Ren-kun. Being who you are I bet you hate the fact that you’ll get tossed into a new environment. But the best thing you can do now is to conquer it.” _

His honorary older brother had faith in him. Ren should have more faith in himself as well. 

He politely introduces himself to his new caretaker Sakura Sojiro as he follows the man into his new ‘room’. It was not as he expected but he decided to not voice his complain out loud instead he just nod along to whatever his guardian said. Sakura-san was trying to be intimidating. He was trying to scare Ren off from doing things that may put his probation in jeopardy. 

Of course Ren has heard worse both from his family and those who hate him. Compared to everything he has heard Sakura-san was just a lion cub trying to act tough. Eventually the man had enough or maybe he just notice that Ren wasn’t really paying attention because he eventually went downstairs and left Ren to his own device. Normally after a long trip Ren would usually make a beeline for the bed and call it a night but his “bed” which was a futon on top of milk crates was dusty and dirty along with everything else in Ren’s new room. If his Uncle or mother caught the sight of Ren leaving his room as is he would most likely get bitten to death. 

So he swept, mop and dust and even though an hour or two has passed the room still looked dusty and abandoned. But it was certainly much better than what he started with. Even Sakura-san commended him on it, even though he complained about all the noise he was making. As soon as the man left and after one more small chore Ren flop on the now dust free bed and let out a loud yawn.

It took awhile for everything to properly hit. Behaving, acting like a normal school boy are both things that Ren has never done in his life. He took after his uncle after all. In fact one of Ren’s fondest memories is him hanging out with his uncles and friends. 

_ “I wanna be like Uncle when I grow up!” Seven year old Ren declared. His uncle’s friend and boss screeched out in fear. “HIEE Ren-kun, Are you sure. Don’t you want to be something less...violent?”  _

_ “No way, I’m gonna bite a million people to death just like Uncle!” _

Boss always tried to drag him away from violence. But with the way his family is there was no way to avoid it. Ren embraced the chaos that was his family who has always been with him through thick and thin. But they are not here and for the first time Ren is all alone. He has to pretend to be someone he’s not all for the sake of pleasing the people up top. If only he had actually hit that man maybe then he would have been able to avoid probation by dumping the stranger’s unconscious body in the river.

Tomorrow he’s going to be introduced to his new school and new teachers where he will meet new classmates who never heard of his uncle and his family. A blank state…

Ren still doesn’t know how to feel about that. Another yawn escaped from his mouth as he checked his phone one last time. That strange app was still there. He could have sworn that his phone has some kind of protection. His family made sure of it. Ren finds himself memorized by the red eye that is the app’s logo. It was off putting and it was definitely not putting him at ease. He put down his phone and tucked his glasses away. He can deal with all of this in the morning.

He did not wake up on his bed. Instead he woken up on some sort of metal bed. Of course he did not notice it right away. He thought his back was overreacting from the change of sleeping in a proper mattress to a futon on top of some milk crates. But opening his eyes and seeing the stone ceiling instead of wood has him sitting up in alarm. 

He’s not in Leblanc anymore. That was obvious. There was a small metal toilet along with chains hanging out from the wall. He was wearing heavy old fashioned handcuffs as well. It didn’t take long for him to notice the stripe shirt and pants along with a chain attached to a heavy metal ball holding down on him. He offhandedly wondered if this was all a prank and he was send back in time. But based on what his Boss told him an incident like that happened years ago and most likely will not happen again.

Not that those words mean much in an unpredictable family such as his.

Still all these tangents still doesn’t explain what’s going on. The sight of being trapped in a small space- a jail cell especially is making him nervous. He tugged his hair to get some sort of grip on reality. 

Instead of waking up on his milk cart bed his attention was now towards the little girl laughing at him. He immediately stood up, now noticing there were two girls instead of one, both stepping into his view. He slowly approached them making sure he doesn’t trip on the chains on the floor and grab the iron bars tightly. The girls stepped away allowing Ren to have a full view of the other side. 

It was depressingly empty. There was no one in the other cells and the only other person beside the two girls and him was some stranger with a suit and a long nose sitting on an old fashioned desk. One that has a similar style to the offices he seen when he was staying over at his uncles in Italy. 

The Stranger looked at him and grin. “Trickster,” he said, his voice was smooth and deep. “Welcome to my velvet room.”

His Velvet room?

Did Ren get kidnapped in his sleep and brought into this strange place? He gave the iron bars an experimental jiggle grunting as he put his strength into moving the bars even just an inch but to no avail. 

“So you come to inmate.” One of the girls sneered.

“The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream.” The other said. 

That made much more sense than the kidnap idea he had just a few moments ago.

The master of the jail introduce himself as Igor who claimed that the prison was something that Ren has created with his own heart and that he was destine for certain death. 

Ren did not fear death. He was well prepared for it-his family has taught him well on that matter. Every fight, every battle he’s supposed to fight like it was his last. But ruins...ruins can mean something else and because he did not know what that else is…

Ren took in another shaky breath, he’s been doing a lot of that since coming into the jail. 

With the promise of his return and a verbal contract signed with his words he was thrown back into the waking world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren can't help but to feel homesick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get the introductory stuff out of the way!

Ren decided that he greatly preferred Sakura-san than the beings in his dreams. Whatever his tired brain came up was not right. He wonders if Boss-san tutor slip him some type of drugs again, because that would make total sense over whatever that was.

Ruins

Velvet room 

Twin warden

A prison for a heart

Ren closed his eyes and concentrated. 

_ When in despair, your flames will remind you of your will and purpose. _

He felt something flickering inside him, burning brighter than ever. He was surprised by this outcome, his determination has been dwindling after the incident. But as long as he’s still standing with his arms and legs intact everything will turn out fine right? 

Right.

With that said he pushed himself out of bed and get ready for the day. He need to made a good first impression. He took out his school uniform that was left on his box. Compared to his Namimori uniform this one looked more stylish. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t ugly. The pants are horrible in his opinion. 

But still, uniforms are supposed to represent the school pride and unity. He made sure to wear his uniform prim and proper just like in middle school when he was a part of the disciplinary committee. Ren frowned as he stared at his arms. It felt empty without the wristband. He was told to lay low but if the new school has some sort of disciplinary committee just like the one back home then he would like to join it somehow. By throwing himself deep into the school community maybe he’ll be able to call this place some where he can belong in. Namimori has rejected him after all.

He hang out in the attic passing the time by texting his family and playing an idle game on his phone. He woke up too early for his liking,n and now he has to sit and wait for Sakura-san to pick him up. 

Sakura-san came at around eight. Already speaking in his no-nonsense tone and going straight to the point. He followed him into the car and spend the ride in silence finding himself content with staring at the window trying to memorize the city but with the car moving fast and the monotone color of the buildings, Ren found the task too hard for him to complete for now. He even received another warning just outside of the school. Ren chose to pretend to care while he stared at the building in front of him. It was big, much bigger than what he used to. He needs to make sure to spend the first week walking around to memorise the layout of the school, just in case. 

  
  
  


The inside of the school was just as impressive. Glass shelves filled with trophies, old photos of pass classes. It was like the school was trying to shout “We are elite.” to anyone who happens to pass by. 

There was no need for a guide to go to the principal office. Sakura-san who’s an alumni of the school seems to handle it well on his own. He did not expect the principal to be that big. Is that even ilegal? He could have sworn that Japan has some sort of rule for being a certain weight, or was that another joke from his second in command in Namimori. 

Ren shifted his gaze to the women standing next to him. She looked like she would rather be anywhere but here, which is fair, since neither Sakura-san or him want to be here as well. But at least she was getting paid. But from the dark bags under her eyes, he wonder if it was all worth it. 

As Sakura-san sign the last of the papers, the principal spoke again. “To reiterate, just so we’re clear,you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problem. In my opinion, you are nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider.”

Ren mentally rolled his eyes and blocked out whatever was said next. If he had a yen for everytime someone mentioned his circumstances he would...well maybe he can afford to buy one stick of his favorite gum. At least his mouth would be entertained while his ears cry in agony. 

“-Here’s your student ID.” 

He blinked and came back to reality as something was passed on to him. He took his hand out of his pocket and reached out. It was a card-his ID with a hastily taken photo covered by a fake leather pouch, and under it was a pink slip. What is that? Before he can open it out and get a peak of it his homeroom teacher reached out and snatched it from his hand. Ren choice to ignore this and instead but his ID in his pocket. Namimori high didn’t exactly have a proper ID. He needs to be sure to keep it with him in case something happens. Maybe he can slip it in the front pocket. He nods along to another round of warnings and kept himself back as his new teacher outright complains about him in front of his face. 

It took guts to do something like that. But maybe it’s because she knows that he can’t do anything that let her loosen her lips. Either way it irks Ren to no end.

He hates the whole speaking as if he’s not there gimmick the adults have been doing for the past few months. The police officers, his lawyer and even his parents. His Uncle and Boss-san’s family would never do that to him. They know he hates that and would include him in any conversation that had to do with him be it his training or his recent increase in bloodlust after hanging out with someone he shouldn’t have been alone with. 

Here he has no control. 

Maybe Ren was starting to get homesick.

* * *

After all the lectures he received, the atmosphere on the car was suffocating.

It was from the combined anger of both Sakura-san and Ren himself. The traffic was making everything worse. Ren thinks that if he jump out of the car and walk he’ll be able to make in back faster than Sakura-san. Namimori was a small town, there wasn’t much need for cars when you could ride your bike or take the bus. Cars was more for people who worked in the city or travel often. Still because of his relationship with his uncle he was often taken to many different places by car. Imagine going to enemy territory by taking the bus or a train, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

Speaking of trains, Sakura-san declared that he’ll start taking the public train tomorrow. The idea that he’ll be squished in-between strangers for a long period of time sounds horrible. But it’s not like he has a choice in this matter either. 

“So how was it? The school, I mean, You think you can manage.”

Ren shrugged while Sakura-san growled under his breath.

“Now listen up.”

Ren wants to slam his head against the car door but he figures Sakura-san won’t appreciate the blood.

“Still, you were expelled once already. To think you’d re-enroll at a different one. It’s not like anyone would be sympathetic with you.” Sakura-san sighed. “If that’s what it was like at school people might say stuff about me in the future too. What a troublesome kid I taken in.”

Originally, the plan was for Ren to be under house arrest, that way he can stay at the Hibari household and get a tutor instead. But, the court case did not go the way he wanted it to, and instead it was required for him to move. It was his dad that found Shujin Academy and it was also his contacts that allowed him to go to Sakura-san.

“Then, why did you take me in.” He growled out.

“I was asked to do it, and I just...happened to agree to it. I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.”

Of course, his family weren’t exactly millionaires but they are wealthy enough. He wonders how much extra did his dad paid to get him in Tokyo without raising an alarm. If he remembers correctly his dad has told him that he had to bribe off someone of Namimori’s police officer to not warn anyone in Tokyo about him, that way he can have a proper fresh start. Not that it change anything with how his new guardian and teacher treat him. 

It was at this time that the radio made itself known after a very long commercial break. “And now back to today’s top stories. A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all-”

“Ugh...Another accident? So that’s why it’s so crowded. There’s been a lot of those lately. In fact there was a real sad one just last month. It happened before you came here. If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only fifteen. Her parents has gotta be just…” Sakura-san voice slowly trailed off at the end only to rise up again at the traffic report. 

He sounded sad, did he know a teen who passed away? Boss-san sometimes have that tone when talking on the phone or during a long meeting after a battle. It’s something he haven’t experience yet and something Uncle and his friends has been trying to keep away from him.

Loss.

It can change a person and make them age rapidly without anyone noticing. He wonder what kind of person Sakura-san was before he was faced with loss. It was none of his business, something are better hidden in the dark and away from the public under a mask. 

By the time they get back to LeBlanc it was way past dinner time. But, it was not like Sakura-san was obligated to feed him. Ren still had some leftover cookies from the trip to Tokyo. He can nibble on that as soon as Sakura-san leaves. Ren marched upstairs while Sakura-san followed while reading on his phone. 

“Talk about a gruesome accident. Eighty people were involved.” He commented as he reached into his pocket and pull out a small black notebook. Sakura-san waved it around. “Here’s a diary. Make sure you keep it up to date.”

The diary was tossed to the nearby table landing with a small little ‘plop’. 

“You may be under probation, but there’s no special limitation on what you do in particular. Beside following the law, that is. However, I’m obligated to report on you, which is why I’m having you record your daily activities.”

Sakura-san voice changed as soon as he picked up his ringing phone. He sounded softer and much more loving, compared to the cold and brief tone he kept up with Ren all day. 

Was Ren jealous of a stranger who happened to have more love for another stranger than him, a stranger? Nah, that can’t be. That’s just too strange. 

The whiplash between the change of tone hurts his neck as he mumble Sakura-san good night and watch him walk down the steps. Once he confirmed that the man left, Ren dove for the diary and threw it on his bed. 

It was quite a refreshing feeling. He should abuse his diary more often. Maybe instead he should write his daily adventures in crayon along with pretty little drawings of stick figures and anatomically incorrect cats. He’s sure that Sakura-san and the poor guy who have to hear about Ren every other week would be thrilled !

His sneer quickly died off and flop onto the hard bed. As soon as his body hit the mattress he heard a phone ringing. Ren immediately reached for his phone, only for him to realize that it was not his phone. He slapped a hand on his forehead. It’s not like his phone is an old fashioned rotary phone-wait. 

Sakura-san had a phone box like that in his cafe right? Ren pushed himself off the bed, ignoring the cries of his tired back from slouching in the car during traffic and rush downstairs to pick up the phone.

“Hey it’s me.” Say the man from the other side of the line.

“Who is this? Is this a prank call?” He answered back. He remembered seeing something on the news of how people would scam senior citizens by crying out ‘It’s me’ on the phone in order to get money in an unspecified bank account. Sakura-san wasn’t old in Japan standard but maybe he’s at that age where scammers start picking on him.

“You seriously forgotten my voice already? It’s me Sakura.”

Oh. This is what he gets for blanking out on all those lectures.

“Anyway...I closed up shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to “Closed” when I left. It’s too much trouble for me to come back just for that. Think you can do it for me?”

It was too much trouble for Ren to get out of bed and go downstairs. But he can understand Sakura-san's point. Even if the distance between his house and the cafe is less than five minutes, the older man must’ve already undress from his daily clothes. 

“Sure.”

Shop sign turned. Teeth brushed and uniform hanging out by a dusty chair. Even though Ren didn’t do anything worth mentioning he was tired. He spent some free time digging through his phone for the news. The train incident still seem to be the top news. Will something like that happen to him on his way to school tomorrow? He sure hopes not. He can’t fight a train...yet. His Uncle and Boss-san definitely can but he’s way too weak to take on one of the practice robots there’s no way he can beat up a ten car train.

He closed the news app and pay attention to the annoying red app. He texted Boss-san tech friend about it yesterday, Spanner-san. But he still haven’t even read it yet. He must be working on another project. He wonder if he can ask if he can send some more of his wacky candies. The sour one always kept him up during class.

The thought of homesickness and the stress of his situation lured him into a dreamless sleep. School and Tokyo may be tough, but he’s a Hibari, he can do something to conquer it. He’s...sure about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick thank you for the people in my discord (which you should join *nudge nudge wink wink*) you guys make writing fun and I love all the jokes we share.
> 
> Only Ren would miss being chased by the mafia and fighting for his life while defending his ice cream. Anyway next chapter 9/25 we'll meet Ren's impulse control!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren wished he had his knife.

The next morning was worse for Ren. He shouldn’t be this nervous, it was just school and the people he is up against are all people at his age group. Instead of getting the proper sleep he needs, Ren wakes up at five am and stares at the ceiling for an hour. 

When the clock on his phone hit six, Ren decided he took enough time questioning the universe and rolled himself out of bed, landing on the hardwood floor with a large thump. He groaned. He misses his carpet that was always nice on his back whenever he decides to jump start his body before someone else does it for him. Though he supposed...no one would come and wake him up now, he’s far from home after all. 

After a few minutes of laying on the cold floor, Ren gets ready for the day. There was just one problem though, he stare at the knife in his hand. His birthday present from his uncle last year. It was a small thing barely crossing the line between legal and not. He carried it everywhere with him, back in Namimori he used to keep it on his belt for everyone to see. No one could stop him, not like anyone wanted to stop a Hibari in the first place. 

On rare days, where he needs to hide his knife, Ren would keep it in a secret compartment in his shoes. But it would make an even worse impression on the student and staff of the school if the principal decided to search him on his first day. It seems unlikely. But Ren has never been under probation before, the many unknown factors being presented in front of him has him feeling uncomfortable. 

One week, if nothing happens in one week, then Ren will start bringing his knife to school. Besides, his fist can do just as good as a job.

By seven, Ren was up and ready to go, already dressed up prim and proper in his uniform and his knife was safely tucked away in his belongings wrapped in some of his clothes. He knows that Sakura-san won’t look into a teenage boy’s belongings which mean that for now his favorite weapon would be safe. But he should probably find a better place to hide it sometime in the future. He went downstairs quietly, not wanting to make a lot of noise so early in the morning. He already have a small headache from the bed rolling incident from this morning, and he doesn’t want to make it worse than it already is. 

He greeted Sakura-san.

“So, you’re actually going to school. Huh?” He responded. “Here, I’ll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in.”

Ren look down at the table. “Curry?”

His question was waved off with a “Don’t complain, just eat.”

Did all big city folks eat curry and other big meals for breakfast? On good days Ren would have mackerel with rice and miso soup for breakfast. A traditional japanese breakfast, and even when he was abroad he was given all sorts of bread and other type of breakfast food. But curry was a first. 

He cautiously sat down on the stool and grab the spoon in his hand. He mumbled a quiet “Thank you for the meal,” before he digs in. Curry can sometimes be spicy right? Ren loves spicy food and it would certainly jump start his brain better than any caffeine. But then again he is in Japan, and Japan prefer sweet curry rather than spicy.

Sakura-san’s curry was not as spicy as Ren would’ve liked it, But it was saviory. Something that cannot come out of a regular instant curry block you can get at the store. It was better,much better. One small bite become one big spoon and before he knew it his plate was empty. It was the best thing he ate since he came to Tokyo and he was a little disappointed to see it go so soon. The plate was then taken away in front of him and he was already waved off to go.

“Thank you for the meal.” He said to Sakura-san as he stood in front of the door. He wonder if Sakura-san saw his face as he was eating, it was not like he was trying to hide his true feelings of what he thought of the food. Sakura-san smirked.

“Huh, turns out you do have manners after all. Hurry over to school. You’ll end up late if you get lost along the way.”

With one more nod and a flip of a sign. Ren was ready to start his day.

_‘You’re gonna be late if you get lost, country boy’_

He was lost.

He passed by Shibuya station before to get to Yogen. But that was two days ago and the Ginza line was nowhere to be seen. He started by following two girls with similar uniforms as him but eventually he got lost in the sea of school children and salary man and somehow accidentally exited the train station. The Ginza line was not part of the JL subway station. He knows that much, the Ginza line like the line he used to get to Shibuya was part of the Tokyo metro line. But the two lines seem to be in different areas of the station.

He doesn’t get it. 

But he still doesn’t want to ask for help yet. If he go to the information center and ask for directions then he would sure be outed as an outsider. Ren needs to blend in and become one of the city folks. The years of training undercover with Boss-san’s tutor told him as such and if he fails right now. Then that would show that his tutor didn’t teach him enough or teach him well, and well...Ren does not want to deal with the consequences of that. 

After circling around the station and following the confusing signs. Ren was greeted with a sea of students wearing similar uniforms as him. That’s when he knows that his mission was complete. 

Two stops later and Ren arrived at his station. He followed the students outside only to be greeted by pouring rain. 

Not checking the weather report was his fault. He took shelter at the entrance of a closed women clothing store. He hopes the rain let out before school starts, or else he’s going to have to introduce himself to his classmates soaking wet. A quiet notification sound distracted Ren from his current thoughts. He quickly took out his phone from his pocket, hoping it to be Spanner-san or someone from his family checking up on him, only for it to be the strange red app, istead this time appearing over his loodle map app. 

Maybe at this point his phone would be better off in Vatican city than the hands of a tech wiz. 

Or maybe instead of wasting everyone’s time to help him with his exorcism, Ren can just end it all by smashing his phone to the ground. The only thing keeping him from breaking his phone was the fact that he did not have any plastic bag with him to pick up all the broken little pieces off the floor. He does not want to break his probation over littering of all things. 

His fractured attention soon caught up at the sight of someone standing beside him. It was a blonde girl and Ren couldn’t help but to stare. When was the last time someone his age stood next to him like this?

Although he had his club back in Namimori, no one stood by his side. They treated him like he was of higher power, someone they should never approach. Even before joining Namimori middle. Back in Elementary school and his nursery days, parents will pull their children away from him. 

_‘Don’t get near him, that kid is a Hibari. If he doesn’t like you then he’ll beat you up.’_

His uncle and his other family members have already instilled a heavy amount of fear into the citizens of Namimori. 

There was also the mafia part of his family. Lambo-nii, I-pin-nee and Fuuta-san were there for him from time to time but they were all older and had jobs to do. They may have played together for a bit when they were younger but now he rarely see them anymore. There was also the fact that the children from Mafia school don't want to approach a distant relative from one of the most dangerous guardians. 

The fact that the girl beside him can pull off her hoodie and smile at him like a normal person shows that in the city anyone can start over new.

A white car pulled up in front of them as the driver side window roll down to reveal a man in a blue tracksuit. 

“Good morning.” The man called out, dry from inside of his car sheltering him from the rain. “You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” 

The blonde responded in a slightly hesitant voice. “Um..sure, thank you.”

Now the man was addressing Ren. “Do you need a lift too?”

“Naw.” He replied softly, it doesn’t take being raised in the mafia to know the basic rule of stranger danger. He forced a half-hearted smile on his face as he watched the man roll up the window and quickly drive away, most likely already violating the speed law while in a school zone. 

Just as the car went out of sight another blond boy came into view. Unlike the girl from before, his hair look more artificial and most likely a self-done dye job. The boy slow down from his sprint in front of Ren cruising someone from under his breath. 

“Dammit...screw that pervy teacher.”

“Pervy teacher?” He can’t help but to repeat. Did Ren just witness a pervert taking a girl in his car? The boy seemed to have heard him and turned around facing his body towards Ren. He marched towards Ren his hands in his pocket and his posture ready to jump at any moment.

Ren can play it at that game too. In fact ignoring the legs, the vulgar kid doesn’t seem to have anything else going for him. He can easy take him on a fight. He seem to be a hot headed type too. If push come to shove he can provoke the boy into attacking him first in front of all these people and claim self-defence with the help of the bystanders watching.

“What do you want. You planning on ratting me out to Kamoshida.”

It seem that he and the boy doesn’t seem to be tuning in at the same wavelength. That makes life a lot more easier. 

“What do you mean,” he asked tilting his head in exaggerated surprise.

The boy’s expression suddenly changed. “Huh? In that car just now.It was Kamoshida.” At the mention of the man the boy’s face twisted into something worse than the anger from before. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is-the king of a castle? Don’t you agree.”

Ren hasn’t even stepped inside the school and yet, he’s already got a feel on the school’s hierarchy. The girl’s hesitant but accepting answer to Kamoshida’s request started to make sense more and more.

Ren found himself repeating the boy’s word once again. 

“Wait… you don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real!? You have the uniform don’t ya? The Shujin uniform.Wait so that means...”

There goes the lightbulb! And Ren was starting to worry that it was broken.

“I’m new,” he answered truthfully.”I’m starting Shujin today.l”

“Oh, a transfer student. You look like a second year student like me then. No wonder you don’t know about Kamoshida.” 

The boy then took a look at the street. “This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up, or we’ll be late.” 

Just as Ren was about to say something a sudden pang went across from his head. He huffed and unconsciously put him palm on his head. He feels dizzy and lightheaded all the sudden.

“Uuugh my head hurts.” The boy whined, putting Akira’s thoughts into words for him. “Dammit, I wanna go home.” 

Ren decided it was better to follow the wannabe punk. Although he may seem like an asshole he doesn’t seem that bad of a guy. Ren may not be a master of character like Boss-san but he’s been told that he's got a good sense. He followed the boy into a back alley. He found himself looking back and forth between the boy and the path behind him.

Something felt off, but he can’t seem to put it into words. Maybe it’s his paranoid speaking to him. His nerves are on high, and he can’t help but to keep reaching into his empty pocket.

It was the blond’s shout of surprise that had him looking forward again. He slowly walked out of the alleyway hoping that it wasn’t anything too concerning. Maybe the boy slipped on a puddle or something. But instead, Ren was greeted with a pink glow and a large castle looming over the two. The boy met Ren’s eyes and looked back. 

“We didn’t...come the wrong way though.”

The two faced the castle again.

When Ryuji suggested going in and asking what’s going on, Ren found himself nodding and agreeing. Maybe Tokyo has this weird magical hazing thing going on. 

‘Or maybe,’ the mafia inside Ren whispered. ‘It’s a mist at work’

If it was a strong mist that would be probable. But wouldn’t randomly turning a school into an rpg like castle catch the eyes of the vindice? He was pretty sure the boy next to him is some kind of civilian. He can’t feel any flames or hostility in him. By dragging him in this mist induced acid trip, has to be a violation of the omerta right?

Still, even when weaponless Ren still gotta risk his life to protect the civilian. That is his duty as a Hibari after all. 

Ren and the boy quickly step inside the strange castle passing by a sign that clearly said the name of the school on it. The inside of the school is just as wack as the outside. Chandeliers, red velvet carpet draped across the floor and stairs. 

“This has to be the school right?” The boy asked his eyes and mouth wide open as he took in his surroundings. “You saw the sign at the front right?”

Ren nodded. He don’t think he can convince the boy he was dreaming at this point. The boy then took out his phone. “Out of service? How can it be out of service here?” The phone went back inside the pocket it came out of as a loud rustling sound and the owner of it, some weirdo in a knight costume complete with a sword and shield came into view.

From the corner of his eyes, Ren could see the blond boy slowly relaxing. “Geez, you freaked me out. Who are you a student? Man your costume’s impressive. Is that armor real?”

There’s no way the boy is right. Ren would rather eat his shoes. This place-whatever it is, is not Shujin academy and that stranger in the costumer can’t be a human person. 

Instinct took over at this point. With an outstretched hand he pulled the boy by the coller ignoring his yelp as he threw him to the floor behind him. Once again, Ren found himself cursing his early morning self for leaving his knife behind and instead reached for his chain necklace with his special rings hanging on it. 

He’ll ignore the orange one for now. 

“Hey man, what are you doing? What’s going on!” The blond shouted behind him.

God, he wished he knew too because Ren has no idea either. All he knows is that weirdo has a bunch of friends that are begging to be bitten to death. 

Ah fuck, he said it again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ren wished he had his knife' what are you gonna do to the knight covered in metal armor, Ren? Stab them??
> 
> Hello, here I am one week and one day earlier than the appointed release date. I'm just letting you all know that I'm going to take a break for the next month. But I feel bad for leaving without saying a word so here's a chapter that I've been dying to post, sorry about the cliffhanger but I'll be back as soon as you know it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren curses out Kamoshida, the chapter.

When Ren opened up his eyes to what appeared in some damp and dirty room. He slowly sat up and rubbed his head. He fucked up royally didn’t he. 

The somehow familiar setting of a prison makes Ren feel unusually nauseous.

“You alright?” The blond called out.

That’s right, it was the blond that woke him up in the first place.

“Yeah,” he replied. “And you?”

“More or less.” 

Compare to Ren who is starting to form a bruise on his forehead, the blond look much better off, but he suspect under the school jacket and shirt there might be one or two bruises hiding underneath. 

When Ren was younger someone- he thinks is boss-san friend but now as a teenager he’s uncertain. Took him to see some sort of dungeon. They taught him various ways that people were punished and many different ways people had escaped. 

The lecture was interesting, but Ren’s mind at the time was occupied wondering if he got kidnapped again. 

While the blond was busy rattling the door, Ren spend his time looking around for some sort of clue to escape. He sees nothing so far. There was not even a window, and the room was bare.

The two paused once they heard a scream echoing throughout the dungeon. They both found themselves tightly grasping the bars looking for the source of the sound. There’s no way it’s just Ren and the blond. There have to be other students as well right> Little he-ahem, other students who don’t have the power to fight back against whatever those things are.

Should he try and melt the bars? The blond has already seen his flames after all, purple lights dancing across his palm as he slammed it onto the knight’s face. 

But what-if he accidentally glued the bars harder or if he accidentally melted the keyhole. Speaking of the blond, he hasn’t said a word about his flames. Ren’s flame when he doesn’t actively try to control it can be wild and flashy. There’s no way he could have missed it. Should Ren say something?

“Hey man, do you hear something?”

Of course he could hear he have e-oh.

The boy was not mocking him for ignoring the other for the past few minutes but instead referring to the sound of armor moving around. 

It was those dumb knights again.

“Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon.” The knight spoke. It reminded Ren of that one officer who was gleeful to have caught a Hibari. He wondered what happened to that man after his Uncle kicked his ass after a disrespectful encounter. “Your charge is unlawful entry. Thus, you will be sentenced to death.”

“Huh-”

“Say, What!”

Can a suit of armor even be smug?

“No one’s allowed to do as they please in my castle.” A familiar voice called out. A figure pushed his way from the back to where the two are standing. 

“Huh? Wait..is that you, Kamoshida?” The blond beside him exclaimed. 

Kamoshida was the one in the car from earlier right? The blond called him a “Pervy teacher.” But, he was wearing a tracksuit earlier, didn’t he? Why would he wear a pink speedo with a cape draping across his body. Was this the Mist taking over the school and turned it into a castle? If so, then the screams from earlier must be students and staff stuck just like Ren and the boy. Ren found himself gripping the bars tighter. He’s gonna beat this man into a pulp.

Kamoshida rolled his eyes at the other boy’s question. “I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it was you, Sakamoto. Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all,huh?”

Again? 

Kamoshida’s attention then went to Ren. “And you brought a friend this time.” He continued, “because you can’t do anything for yourself.”

He saw the blond hesitating before calling out “This ain’t funny, you asshole.”

“Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insult me-the king. The punishment for that is death.”

Ren wishes he can rip out the metal bars so he can punch that smug bastard and knock his ugly crown off his ugly head. But he wasn’t blessed with the power of activation like one of his uncle’s friend is.

And with a sharp command, the knights opened the door and barge themself in. The two boys each took a step back as more and more of them march in. If Ren cannot handle three at once like last time, how can he really beat every single one of these guys right now? The King-the cowardly king stood in front of the door, grinning like he just won a trillion yen.

Sakamoto pushed down one of the guards with a bodyslam. 

“I ain’t down for this shit, let’s go.” 

Ren nodded, now is not the time to hesitate. He needs to grab Sakamoto and retreat. He still have the address to the family’s headquarters in Tokyo. If he can just get the help he needs…

The guards, using their big bulky bodies manage to separate the two by pushing them to the opposite side of the wall. Ren repeatedly kicked the knight facing Sakamoto who pushed him down with the blunt side of his sword. 

Sakamoto was shouting at him to run away. Ren scoffed at that idea and promptly discarded it in the trash where Kamoshida will end up in once he gets his hand on that king. 

Ren even starts using his flames hoping that it will either disrupt the illusion or at least improve the situation. One of the knights has his footprint on it’s ass. Not exactly how Ren wanted this battle to go down but it was still something.

The king was talking again. Making weak jabs at both him and the blond. Ren let out a small yelp as he was pushed to the floor and the knights gathered around the area to let Kamoshida in. 

Fuck, is this all he can do? Stand around and let out pretty flames like a firecracker as Kamoshida beat on Sakamoto for what-going to school like any other kid?

He hates this. He really do. Why can’t he do anything right? He’s a Hibari. For generations, his family has protected the weak and beat on the strong. If he can’t handle a mist masquerading as a teacher, what else he can’t do? 

He can’t protect that women. His mind supplied. 

That was...true. But this isn’t about her. 

“Stop it!” He yelled out, gaining the attention of everyone in the damp jail cell.

The king stop in his track and stare right at Ren. Ren stared back, he can’t falter now, no matter how creepy the man’s gold eyes look. The knights in his way step aside. 

“What?” Kamoshida drawled. “Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am.” 

They were now facing eye to eye. Ren clench his fist as tightly as he can and for once is happy that he cut his nails, it would do no good to be distracted from a fight just because his nails cut through his skin. 

“That look in your eyes irritates me.” 

Shit.

Before Ren could react with a punch of his own. Kamoshida kicked him to the walls. He let out a quiet grunt and attempted to sit up and pounce but was held up against the wall by two knights. 

“No, I don’t want to die.” Sakamoto whimpered out. 

Dammit, he was stronger than this. He knows it, he trained and trained for years only for what? Only to lose to someone wearing a speedo of all things. The boy-Sakamoto, although they just met and won’t stop acting like a punch wannabe still doesn’t deserve to die. This whole situation was just so unfair!

_ “This is truly an unjust game...Your chances of winning are almost none.”  _ A voice, but from where? His head? Kamoshida and the knights haven’t said anything, in fact they seem frozen. 

_ “But if my voice is reaching you,there may yet be a possibility open to you.”  _

A butterfly? 

“What’s the matter?” Another voice, this time deeper, spoke in his mind. “Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?” 

“It wasn’t” He whispered. Walk with your head up, live with no regret. That’s the way Ren had lived up till now and he’s not planning on stopping now of all times. 

“Very well.” The voice said, there was some kind of amusement in his voice. “I have heeded your resolve.”

There was something burning inside him. Hot, he felt hot. The heat was digging inside his heart and clawing his way out. Ren struggle under the knights’ grip. He needs the heat out, he needs it out now. He pants as the heat grows hotter and hotter, small grunts and whimpers escape from his lips as he continues to struggle.

“Vow to me.” 

Is he screaming? Is he crying? He can’t tell anymore.

“I am thou, thou art I.” 

His heart is dancing, beating to a tune Ren hasn’t heard before. He never been to a club before but his inside sure did.

“Thou who art willing to perform all kind of sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!”

He’s gonna kill them all, he’s gonna make them pay. Bite them to death and show them who’s really on the top of the food chain.

“Call upon my name, and release thy rage!”

With one last scream, Ren can feel his himself slumping against the knight’s hold. 

“Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!”

He will. He will, he promises on his dying will. 

And just like that everything fell into place.

“Execute him,”

“That’s enough.” He heard himself shout out, this time with more determination. Sakamoto was let out of the death grip he was trapped in as everyone turned to him once more.

All the sudden Kamoshida’s glare seems like nothing to him now. 

“You desire to be killed that much! Fine.”

A slam to the head by one of the shields, his fake glasses fell off his face and flew somewhere on the dirty prison floor. His head feels a little warm. Is he bleeding? His hestiance makes another opening as he was slammed back to the wall, with two spears crossed and holding his neck in place. Right before his head could be chopped off something inside him went off, wind and embers of orange and violet filled the air, pushing the guards back by a step. 

Something was wrong. Ren can feel it. Did his head always felt this heavy? His hands slowly reached towards his face. Instead of feeling flesh, his hands touched something cool, something plastic. 

_ Take it off _

He needs to take it off. His hands wander around until he found someplace to properly grab it by and pulls. Not enough, he needs more strength. He pull again his head moving along his hand as he pushed his head back and as his hands pull forward. He needs this dumb thing off now. He pulls again, this time he can feel the blood coming out of his head and slowly dripping down his chin. Fuck, it hurts, and with a final yell he was able to finally get the thing off.

He never felt more free in his entire life. Flames formed from his blood, a blue with hints of orange and violet swirling around it and from that flame came a figure. 

And Ren knew exactly what to do. With a wave of his hands the guards flew back from a strong gust of wind. He could see Kamoshida’s pathetic form crawling away. But not for long, not if Ren has anything to say about it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little heads up. The pacing from here on out is coming to be a bit wonky. Since for at least the next couple of chapters I want to focus on outside the metaverse especially since there won't be a major change in terms of gameplay.
> 
> I was planning on writing this chapter out until the two leaves the castle but I felt from then on it would be repetitive so it got cut out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the comments mentioned that normal people can't see flames, to be honest I forgot about that and assumed that the people in the KHR world lack braincells or something.
> 
> Also: kindof soft Ren, can't blame him I'll be confused too.

_ “I am the rebel’s soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.” _

_ “Give me your power.” _

Arsene, that was the name of the being inside him. From Arsene he was given strength from multiple flame users. But the power he was given are not flames.. All of this was new and strange, _ and amazing and wonderful.  _

This time the king was on the other side of the bar. Yelling to be let out after both Sakamoto and him manage to trap him inside. 

“Hey,” Sakamoto said. “What was that just now !? And your clothes!”

His clothes? 

He didn’t even notice that his clothes has changed. He lift his arms up, instead of the soft fabric of his school uniform, he felt something heavier, leather? Or maybe something similar. But just before he can get a proper look at his new outfit, it disappears in a blue flash. Darn.

  
  


Ren has no idea what to think of his new power. But that strange being-Arsene came to him when he was desperate. He wanted to beat up the king and drag the poor kid out of there. He wanted to destroy, hurt and overthrow him. It made him feel like a kid again when his flames first came in, maybe…

“What the heck!” 

Ren grinned, just as he thought, Arsene and the flames both come from the same source-him. Which means that everything under that umbrella is in his control. Wao.

Sakamoto jumped back as Kamoshida once again made a racket with the bars again, shouting something along the line of “Let me go, I’m the king,”while pounding the bars over and over again, as if his arms can magically break it off with a few hits. Of course, that can only mean one thing,that Sakamoto and him should get the fuck out and leave him to rot. 

The castle did not come with a map or any flashy signs telling them where to go, leaving the two highschoolers scrambling around looking for the exit. Between Ren’s personal challenge when it comes to direction in a new place, and Sakamoto’s reluctance to take the lead. It was a miracle that the two managed to get somewhere without catching the attention of one of the guards. 

Along the way they met with some- less than pleasant things as well. The prisoners. It was hard to see them when they were behind bars but now that they were out it was clear to see some of the scars and bruises littered all over their body. Ren still doesn’t understand what the heck is going on. And it was frustrating to be able to do nothing about it. But his priority right now is getting the civilian out before anything worse can happen. 

A strange voice catches their attention. It was a boyish voice like a kid who didn’t quite reach his puberty.

“Blondie, Frizzy hair, over here!” 

The voice came from a small animal mascot thing. It was waving it’s tiny paws trying to catch their attention. It was strangely cute and that fact plays no part in Ren’s decision to let it out of its’ cell and proceed to pet vigorously. 

“Dude.”

The thing was purring nicely. Ren wonders if he can somehow find a way to bring it back to the attic back in Yongenjaya. But then again he was sure that once the cat sees the dust in the air and the very uncomfortable bed and couch, it would never want to get near ever again. Then Ren gotta find a way to keep a cat-thing on the roof. Maybe he can find a job and buy some wood. All this a secret from Sakura-san of course, then-

_ “Please Ren, I need you to promise me to be good.” _

Ugh. Nevermind, he’ll think of something else.

The cat talked big, as if he can beat them both now.Sakamoto called him “all talk” right before the two opened the cell and Ren is inclined to believe. 

Morgana-the cat, led them to the world’s ugliest statue and pushed Ren looked around it’s mouth for some sort of key to lowering the drawbridge. The puzzle in question wasn’t even that big of a deal. All he had to do was to push down on the jaw and that was it. But just doing that seems to please Morgana a lot.

“I knew someone with a persona like you would know what’s going on.”

Now Ren won’t be able to develop the courage to tell him he’s just as confused as Sakamoto. Not with those sparkles in his eyes. It reminds him just like the knife incident when he was younger. Morgana still held a firm tone even with the admiration underneath as he guided the two across the bridge and straight into another one of those knights. 

As Sakamoto fell on his bottom and scooted back and Morgana commanded him to fight, Ren felt a grin slowly appearing on his face. He has a bone to pick with these guys and he’s about to pay them back with double the interests. 

Morgana’s persona Zorro was big and just as dramatic as it’s owner, the cat claimed the backseat while pushing Ren to the front. The knight- that turned into two different monster things stared down at him. 

He used a burst of flames along with Arsene attack to hit the pumpkin to the left. It cried out in pain but it was still standing, what a pity. 

“Whoa!” Morgana cried out. “Frizzy hair what did you do? You just knocked out half of your SP!” 

SP? What the hell is Sp? Ren let out a heavy sigh as he tried to keep himself up. He’ll admit that he’s very tired. But using flames shouldn’t make him this tired, he’s never been this tired at the beginning of his training. 

Morgana then proceeded to attack with his own persona-Zorro and gave Ren the opening to use Arsene for the final hit. Slowly the two shadows in front of them melt away and disappear. Although he did not feel safe enough to fully let his guard down, Ren let his stiff shoulder sag down for a bit.

“Dude…”

Ren wanted to either ‘dude’ Sakamoto back, or at least resummon whatever that monster was. The fight, in his opinion, although thrilling, it was not worth only 283 yen. He can only buy a riceball from an overpriced city supermarket with this cash.

“Not bad. Your persona’s pretty powerful. But whatever that purple flame was drained your SP pretty quick.” Morgana complimented as if he was expecting Ren to understand a single word that came out of his mouth.

“Persona?” Sakamoto asked, “Y’mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?”

Morgana nodded and just as he finished explaining. Ren fell to his knees, his outfit which he’d just started to warm up to disappear and turned back into his school clothes. He felt even more weight on his shoulder as the fatigue intensified. 

“Hey man, you alright?”

“Hm, it looks like you don’t have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn’t normally dissolve like that. After all-”

Sakamoto lightly grabbed his right arm and pulled Ren up. Ren wobbled a bit but held on to the other to steady himself. He feels like he’s going to pass out. Maybe he’ll pass out after he punch blondie and kitty cat because their fighting is starting to piss him off. They only knew each other for just around an hour and they are already at each other’s throat. What the hell is wrong with them. How is he the sane one in the group.

“Anyway,” Morgana said as he crossed his arms and look away from the two high schoolers. “You wanna escape this place in one piece right! Let’s go!” 

Although they were all tired and beaten up the trio ran through the castle trying to find an exit. Sakamoto and Morgana got themselves into a few more fights which led to an actual fight between some of the guards, Ren opted to fight solely on Arsene this time. Morgana told him early that his flames were lowering his SP. He still doesn’t understand what SP is but he guess it’s probably linked to the reason he’s so tired. It was strange fighting without his flames and still managing to create so much damage. But Arsene felt...warm and recognizable. The feeling he get when he’s with Arsene and wearing the strange costume, is the same feeling he get when using his flames. Maybe there was some mist in him too.

In the end, the exit they were looking for was in a ventilation shaft out of all places. When the two opened their eyes they were back in the city as if nothing happened, the only poof is the weariness on their bodies. 

“Did we make it?” Sakamoto asked. His phone vibrates and it cheerfully replies for him “You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.”

“Huh? Returned? Does that mean we got away.” 

As if Ren knows, “Looks like it.” 

Sakamoto then proceeds to yell, loudly. From the corner of his eyes he can see people whispering and pointing that them, and from his left was a woman dragging two police officers to where the two currently stand. That’s not good. Ren pretended to sway and grabbed onto Sakamoto’s arm once more, this time tighter. 

“Ow! Dude you alright?” 

Immediately Sakamoto latched on to him, confused. It was actually kindof endearing.

“Hey,” one of the officer shouted as the two head stopped right in front of them. “What’s with all the commotion.” He eyed their clothes. “Are you students of Shujin? Cutting class are we?”

“Huh? No-”

Ren shook his head aggressively, “N-no sir, it’s actually ma’ first day ‘ere in the city and I didn’t-, I was feelin’ a lil’ sick. But this kid here.” He patted Sakamoto’s back roughly. “Stayed with me ‘til I was feeling better.”

“You do look pale.” said the officer with the bike.

Namimori was not an isolated place, it was a small town, yes. But it was close enough to urban areas that the people there has no sort of country accent. Ren for the lack of better words was bullshitting it. He can’t believe learning how to mimic the accent of one of the drunk men he would come across at times would come in handy. Ren carefully eyed Sakamoto. There’s no way this incident would be leaving either of their mouths anytime soon. He’s sure of it. 

Ren managed to fool the man with the bike but the taller more aggressive officer doesn’t seem to buy it. “Is this true?” He barked at Sakamoto. 

Sakamoto jumped. “Um..yeah, he almost passed out ‘n shit.” 

Oh god, Sakamoto doesn’t know how to lie right. The officer stared at them for a few minutes, maybe he was hoping one of them would crack. Ren wanted to scoff at that. A method like that would probably work on some of the younger elementary school kids. There’s no way a trick like that would work on them. Right?

Sakamoto didn’t seem like he was going to budge sometime soon.

Right. 

In the end, his pale face and his unsteady posture manage to convince the two officer of the little lie they spun. 

They were released from their mini-interrogation and made their way to the school. Standing in front of the school was the man the two had the displeasure of spending their morning with. The man who put him in a cage, the one who twisted the school into something unrecognizable. There was also someone that Sakamoto called the counselor but that old man doesn’t matter at the moment.

The “King” spoke first with false pleasentary and then his true face. Rens’ gonna beat him to a pulp. This he swears. 

“But he might slug us if we look at him the wrong way.”

Brainless was the best word to describe the student of this school. He hasn’t even been here for an hour and he knew that compare to him, the school probably broke some kind of agreement with the justice system. But with the way everything is run, the school would probably get off scott free. 

The fear that some of the students felt for him was familiar but the same time not. 

The only one who would willingly talk to him was Sakamoto who told him to meet up on the school roof. That was fine, the school roof was one of his favourite hang out spot back home, something close to it would make his horrible day much better.

As soon as he was free he went up to meet with the blond right away. From where he stand, he can see that Sakamoto was trying to look tough, leaning back on his chair with his foot on an abandoned desk. Ren’s first impression probably would have been totally different if he hadn't seen the boy almost crap his pants a few hours ago.

“There you are,” Sakamoto called out. “Sorry for callin’ you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like, ‘don’t get involved with him,’ huh?”

She did, but back home he was much worse. He told the other boy as such.

“Huh?” He said “For real? Like you really were in a gang and shit?”

and shit, Sakamoto.

“No wonder you were so gutsy.” Sakamoto spoke with a matter of fact tone, it was like he was pretending to be smarter than he really was, but the school never really took down the test score from last school year.

Fine, Ren didn’t mind joining Sakamoto’s cute little act as he shift his spot from right in front of Sakamoto to one of the broken desk beside him.

“...What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at the castle.” Sakamoto continues “It wasn’t a dream right? You remember it too, yeah?”

He shrugged. “That must be some nice eatable you had, Sakamoto.” 

“Wha- Hey man, don’t play with me like that, I don’t mess with shit like that. Uh- well... even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida.” Sakamoto beamed a big smile at him. “So yeah, Thanks, Ren.”

Oh.

“It was nothing.”

“Haha, are you embarrassed? You’re looking a little red there man.”

“Shut it, Sakamoto.”

A pause.

“And quit laughing about it before I hit you.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. And call me Ryuji already. We both just survive Kamoshida. You can call me by my first name you know and I’ll call you by yours.”

“Tch, Just do whatever.”

He refuses to believe he’s going soft after one day in a civilian school.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long. This chapter was actually finished four weeks ago but I've never got around to post it. A quick update on my life is that I started working which is fun but at the same time really tiring because of the hour train ride. I'm hoping to balance everything up soon and continue writing. 
> 
> I personally dislike writing fighting scenes, especially since the metaverse part of this fic would be roughly the same as canon, I just want to get to the fun part. 
> 
> Thank you for all your comments and suggestions, I don't really have someone I can consult to, so any little thing helps. I hope you all have a great week! And maybe another chapter soon.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it was readable. I've been told that my writing is unreadable, I really wanted to put this idea out there. Originally I was planning to post this after having seven chapters done but I wanted to hear other people's idea on this AU because there's so much that can fit in this bad boy.
> 
> I'm hoping for bi-weekly upload so expect more soon!
> 
> Also I'm very active on tumblr which already have hints on what future chapter is going to be like (since I mostly planned everything out there) so if you want to be spoiled I'll suggest heading there. My blog name is the same as my name here wallstoothin. I would share the link but I've been told I keep sending in the wrong one.
> 
> link to this story's discord: https://discord.gg/PT7dTam


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